Step into Action this Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
In 2025, a woman will die every two hours from ovarian cancer in the UK. With survival rates much higher when diagnosed early, the tragic reality is that ovarian cancer is often not caught in time, and this is due to a lack of screening options and the subtle, often mistaken symptoms.
The Silent Killer: Why Ovarian Cancer Is So Hard to Detect
Ovarian cancer has earned the nickname “the silent killer” because its symptoms are commonly vague and can easily be confused with other conditions. Unlike other cancers with clear warning signs, the symptoms of ovarian cancer can be misattributed to everyday issues such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or the natural transition of menopause. This often leads to women being undiagnosed for months, during which the cancer can progress.
- Over 7,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year in the UK.
- Over 4,000 women lose their lives to ovarian cancer each year—that’s 11 women every day.
- If diagnosed at the earliest stage, 9 in 10 women will survive.
- 27% of women with ovarian cancer are diagnosed through emergency presentations such as Accident & Emergency (A&E).
- 40% of women wrongly believe that a cervical smear test detects ovarian cancer.
- More women die from ovarian cancer in the UK each year (4,142) than from all other gynecological cancers combined (womb – 2,453, vulval – 469, vaginal – 110, cervical – 853).
Why Ovarian Cancer is a Risk
Ovarian cancer is relatively common, particularly in postmenopausal women, as age is the primary risk factor. Other factors include a family history of ovarian cancer, genetic mutations such as BRCA1 and BRCA2, and reproductive factors such as not having children or having an early menstruation, which leads to a higher number of ovulation cycles throughout a woman’s life.
New biomarker work is happening to detect and diagnose sooner
Biomarkers play a crucial role in speeding up the diagnosis of ovarian cancer by providing more specific, reliable, and earlier indicators of the disease. These are measurable substances, often proteins or other molecules, found in blood, urine, or tissue that can signal the presence of cancer.
For ovarian cancer, certain biomarkers are being studied to help detect the disease earlier, differentiate between benign and malignant tumors, and monitor treatment responses. Read more here: Fred Hutch Cancer Research
Here are a few key ways biomarkers can accelerate ovarian cancer diagnosis:
- Early Detection: Biomarkers can be present in the blood before symptoms arise, allowing for earlier detection when the cancer is more treatable. For example, the CA-125 protein is often elevated in women with ovarian cancer, though it’s not always specific. Combining CA-125 with other biomarkers can improve accuracy.
- Improved Accuracy: The use of multiple biomarkers in combination with each other, or with imaging tests, can help doctors make a more accurate diagnosis. For example, combining CA-125 with the HE4 protein or other new markers may provide a more reliable test, reducing false positives and improving the specificity of ovarian cancer detection.
- Risk Stratification: Biomarkers can help identify women who are at higher risk of developing ovarian cancer, especially those with genetic mutations like BRCA1 and BRCA2. By monitoring these women closely with biomarker tests, doctors can detect changes in the body before full-blown cancer develops, leading to earlier intervention and better outcomes.
- Personalised Treatment: Biomarkers can help guide treatment decisions by identifying specific genetic mutations or characteristics of a patient’s tumor. This helps doctors choose the most effective treatment plan; for example, some ovarian cancers may respond better to targeted therapies if certain biomarkers are present.
- Monitoring for Recurrence: After treatment, biomarkers can also be used to monitor for signs of cancer recurrence. Regular biomarker tests can detect cancer cells in the body at lower levels than traditional imaging, allowing doctors to catch a relapse early and adjust the treatment plan promptly.
Take Action and Check Your Symptoms
It’s crucial to stay aware of the symptoms and seek medical advice if they persist. Early diagnosis can make all the difference, as survival rates are far higher when the disease is detected at an early stage. For more information on the symptoms and what to do if you’re concerned, visit Target Ovarian Cancer: Symptoms.
Join the Movement: Walk in Her Name
This March, take action and join thousands across the UK to Walk in Her Name. Walk 100km your way to support the fight for a future where no woman dies of ovarian cancer. Every step counts towards raising awareness and funding research to help end this disease.
Sign up here: Walk in Her Name 100k for Ovarian Cancer Awareness
References:
- Cancer Research UK, August 2020
- Office for National Statistics (2019), Cancer Survival in England: adults diagnosed between 2013 and 2017, and followed up to 2018 May 2020
- National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service (2018), Routes to diagnosis 2006-2015 September 2021
- Target Ovarian Cancer Pathfinder 2022, Survey of 1,002 women by Survation using the Ovarian Cancer Awareness Measure, February 2022
